The Wanderer's Protection
by Suiirenn
Summary: AU.Once every century, a princess is born with the power that could perhaps destroy all who lives, but with a cost. People call them the Ena. A wandering masked man is hired by the Emperor of the Sun Empire to protect this century's Ena and find the oracle that can heal her blind eyes.
1. Prologue

Hello dear reader, it's Fred. It was a bad idea to start writing this because I'm already busy working on my other two fanfics and with my real life, but I couldn't stop my fingers from typing. I got this idea from a dream that I had (well at least some of it) and I've had the idea since March this year. I wrote half of the first chapter but ended up forgetting about it, and now that I found it through my files, I'm eager to continue it.

I'm still deciding whether or not to keep the rating at T (13+). I have some scenes that **_may or not be_** used that are 'M' material. Ehh...I'll just keep it at T for now and change if I decide to use those scenes.

Enough chit chat, time to start reading.

*Disclaimer: Everything but the story line belongs to Kishimoto-sensei*

_Italics = thoughts_

**Bold = Sounds**

* * *

"Baa-chan, baa-chan!" A little boy calls. He pulls on his grandmother's dress to wake her up.

And so she did with a bolt. She looked down at her grandchild, surprised from the sudden tug but smiled. "What is it my dear?"

His blue eyes twinkled and a grin broke out. "It's story time!"

The old woman looked at the ticking coo-coo clock on the wall then back to her eager grandchild. "Oh, why yes it is. What should the story be tonight?"

"Anything that I haven't heard from you yet." He was picked up into his grandmother's embrace and was rocked back and forth in her old rocking chair. He cuddled into her body further to keep warm.

"Anything, hm..." She paused to think about which story to tell this night. She looked around the room to find an object that would help her come up with something to satisfy the little boy in her arms. Her eyes rested on a painting of a man and woman holding hands, and a sudden idea popped up in her head.

"Five hundred years ago there lived a nymph named Clestia. She fell in love with a human –"

"Ehh! Baa-chan, I don't want to hear a love story."

She chuckled. "It's a real story and it's not the sappy love stories you read in romance books. Trust me, you'll love it."

"Fine." He said, trusting in the elder's words.

She waited for anymore talking the boy was going to do, but found none. She cleared her throat to begin her story once more. "At the time, it was a disgusting action to love a human. Creatures that wielded magic were on the top of the monarchy, while humans were merely peasants. It was common to see many humans scouring the rubbish bins the magical creatures threw away. They were discriminated; being reduced to slaves because of the differences between the races."

"What? I don't understand those words, baa-chan." He was only four, still learning how to read and understand.

"It means that the magical creatures didn't like the humans because we were different. They treated them like they were trash and beat them up sometimes."

"Oh no! That's not nice. What bad people." His face grew solemn. Instead of looking up at his grandmother's face, he drew his attention to his small hands. "Does that mean I'm a bad guy too?" His voice quivered.

She patted his soft hair and gave it a kiss. "No, not at all dear. Just because you are a Fein (pronounced as f-Ain) doesn't mean you're bad. Feins and humans are friends now so you don't need to worry." She reassured him with a smile. "All the magical creatures are."

The grin returned to his cheeks and his orange fox ears twitched with delight. His small orange and white tail swayed from side to side. "I don't like awful people like them and I don't want to be like they were."

"It is awful – yes, but we are getting off topic here. Now let me tell my story without any more disturbances or off to bed you go."

He nodded his head immediately. The boy didn't like to sleep.

"Anyways, Clestia's loved a human male named Zerek. He was a brave man and wanted equality as did she. He soon also fell in love with the nymph but their love was forbidden. Not knowing what to do to get people to acknowledge their love was pure, she went to a witch. The witch was known for being crazy and tricking people, none-the-less Celestia went to her. Clestia decided to take a chance with the witch because there weren't any other people that would be willing to help. 'You won't know until you try' is what she thought." She looked down to see if her grandchild was still with her. And he was, peering up at her without the slightest hint of drowsiness. He was silent meaning that he was interested. "Once she went to the old lady, she asked for a potion that would make her a human so that she could be on the same class as her beloved. She paid a lot of money to the woman and you know what she gave her?"

"It was a frog potion, wasn't it baa-chan?" He said with certainty.

The old woman chuckled once more. "No, even worse!"

"What's even worse than being turned into a frog?! A rat? I'm not too fond of rats."

"Instead of being turned into a human, a frog or a rat for that matter, the potion made the nymph lose her sight. She was as blind as a bat because she drank the blood of an angel."

"What a scam! All of her money was spent on blood and she didn't get what she wanted." He frowned and crossed his arms to his chest.

"It was a scam, but you did know what good thing happened to her after drinking the blood?" She received a shake from his head as an answer. "The blood didn't sit too well in her stomach. It mixed in with her DNA and caused her to be blind, but it also gave her an ability that no other magical creature had. She was able to do a certain trick with her eyes then she was able to see into the hearts of others. She knew who they loved, their truest desires, or the deepest darkest secrets they held."

"That's a pretty cool ability, but what happened to their love? Zerek and Clestia?"

"After finding out what Clestia did, Zerek decided to run away with her. Her parents wouldn't approve of their relationship and he thought that her parents would end up killing her. It was different back then; if one had a disability, they would kill the child. Plus, what she did would have embarrassed her family; she would bring shame to their household. Clestia would have died if she went back home and so they ran off to a village far from their homeland. They lived happily ever after and had a few children. The end! It's time to sleep for you. Hustle into bed now." He was light making it easier for her old bones to carry him off to the large king-sized bed.

"No, but wait, there's more to the story isn't there? You rushed the ending, and you usually don't talk so quick unless there's something to hide. Come on baa-chan, tell me. I won't go to sleep then." He sat on the large bed with his arms crossed and his feet crisscrossed. He was a stubborn child and so his grandma had no choice but to tell him.

"You must keep this a secret though." They pinky promised. "The angel blood actually cursed her family. After every hundred years, there is another born blind, all with a different ability. It gets dangerous every time, they say."

He got up from his sitting position and into the warm blankets. He looked like a mouse compared to the bed. "Does that mean that I can meet him? Can I be his friend?"

She thought for a moment. "Why yes, you can. I think the child could be roughly around your age now. And keep in mind that it is a _she;_ the child is always born as a female of any race. Now, it is time for you to sleep, young prince."

The Fein yawned. His ears dropped as did his eyes. "G-good….night, baa…chan…."

She whispered "good night" to him as well. He was as abrupt as a volcano; a burst of energy, happy as can be, then one second later tired and can no longer move. She closed the door and headed down the halls towards her chamber. "Hohohoho." Her laughs echoed through the castle. "Perhaps he will meet the child one day, who knows?"

* * *

Well how was the prologue? Confusing? Yes? Sorta?

Everything will be explained in the next chapter, so look forward to it.

Please note that I will only be posting 2 more chapters of this story to see how this goes. If I receive positive feedback then I shall continue it after those 2 chapters, so leave a review or pm me if you want more *wink wink*

You can check on the progress of my pieces on my profile. I update it after I write every time.

Thank you for reading! And please read my other fanfics if you've got time to spare. Have a nice day minna-san!

~Fred


	2. Chapter 1 - Let's Begin!

Oh god, I seriously didn't expect that many follows/reviews/favs for just the prologue. Thank you so much, lovelies ^^. To continue this story, I'd like at least 30 reviews by the end of chapter 2 with your opinions on this fanfic. I don't want to continue a story if I don't know what others are thinking or if no one is reading it.

I didn't expect this chapter to be over 7K long. I kinda wanted to break it half but then I was like "Nahh, it'll ruin the flow." Enough with me, hope you enjoy this chapter.

*Disclaimer: Everything but the storyline belongs to Kisimoto-sensei*

_Italics = thoughts_

**Bold = Sounds**

* * *

Vinea, a world that differs from ours. Unlike Earth, Vinea is a smaller planet that exists in a whole other universe far from human's reach. There is life growing: plants, animals, trees, and even humans. They wake up with the bright light from their Sun, and go to sleep underneath their two moons. "What makes Vinea different from Earth?" One may ask. Not only is there not one but two moons, there are also creatures that only live there. The legendary creatures that exist in fairy tales and in our minds inhabit the land and in the waters.

On that planet, there are only fifty countries, all with their own ruler, and seven continents. Some countries are filled with only one race of the mythical creatures and those who are different are treated harshly.

There are six types of creatures: the Fein, Shape Shifters, the Yunomi, the Kai,Yōkai, and the Wild.

The Fein are the most common found living amongst the people. They don't wield any magical powers; however, they have the skills of a regular animal. They look exactly like a human except, instead of having human flesh as their ears; they possess the characteristics of an animal and also have tails. An example would be the cat Fein. They have the ears of a cat along with a tail, at times their ears match their hair colors. They would enjoy the same activities as a cat including eating fish, being very balanced, and enjoy napping in the sun. To give birth to a Fein, the mother must be a Fein but the father can be of any race. The animal characteristics of the mother are then passed onto the child. If the father was a male Fein and the mother was a female Yunomi (or of any race), then the child will most likely be a Yunomi. It's rare for a Fein child to be born from a different mother.

Shape Shifters, a term humans from Earth are familiar with. They are similar to Feins, but they could transform from their beast form to a full human. An example would be the werewolf. It hurts a great deal to transform; bones and skin are changed. They would usually stay in one form and only change when they're in danger.

Yunomi are everywhere in Vinea. Yunomi are basically just people, some possess magical powers whilst others don't. Yunomi's can talk and walk on two feet. Humans would be considered a Yunomi and so would vampires, nymphs, witches, fairies, angels, etc.

The Kai are the people of the waters. There is not much known about the people of the waters. They live ten thousand feet underwater and only submerge when needed. Mermaids and Mermen are known as peaceful creatures, but the Sirens are vile, and hunt after men. Looking as beautiful as mermaids, they trap men of any race with their beauty and enjoy eating them for fun. The oldest of Sirens can even produce fake images and give whatever their prey dreams of, and then they'd finish them off while they are sleeping. The only way to escape the clutches of Sirens is to be a woman or to be completely in love with someone else.

Yōkai are rare demons that exist only in the darkest of places. Not much is known about them except that they cause mischief.

And last but not least are the Wild. Like the name, it suggests that they are wild creatures. They walk freely around land and some live in the waters with the normal animals. They cannot speak but the rarest can use telepathy. There are dragons, wyverns, and griffins flying high in the sky, and sea serpents wandering through the waves. Unicorns gallop across the meadows with their horse friends and minotaurs terrorize the forests. There are also Pegasi that only belong to the Angels.

Vinea is a crazy world filled with mythical beings and wonderful adventures. I hope you enjoy your stay here, dear reader.

OoOoO

"So this is where the castle is." A cloaked man stared at the huge castle in front of him. "I better win this or it'll be a waste of my time and efforts." He said, gripping onto the piece of paper in his hand firmly. The man, looking more like a teenager from his figure, was short for his age but looked pretty built judging from the way his cloak wrapped around his body. He wore a fox mask, covering the secrets his face held. Everything about the boy was a mystery.

He walked up the stone pathway that led to the palace gates. _Man! Why does every castle have to be up a hill? _The sun shown down on him, the heat making it much harder for him. He noticed a few carriages passing by, seeming to mock his misery. "Lucky rich folk." He scowled.

Finally making it to his destination, he heaved a great huff, and proceeded through the open gates. "Halt! Sir, I must request the reason why you are here. Only those that have the emperor's permission can enter." A palace guard commanded, stopping him from going any further. Not saying a word, the man pulled out the flier he was holding and handed it over to the guard. He kindly took it and scanned the contents. It read: _**Are you brave? Courageous, or athletic? In need of money? Well this may be your day. The emperor is in need of a personal bodyguard. If wanting this job, please report to him in the Sun Empire on the XX of July. **_"You know this is a competition right?" The short guard asked.

The lad nodded his head, again not speaking a word. _Competition eh? Figured as much. Who wouldn't want to serve the king? _

"Very well, you may proceed. Go right into the castle doors and his majesty should be there. Best of luck to you sir." The palace guard waved him in through the gates and watched as the young man walked through the palace doors.

Once the huge red doors slammed behind him, he turned around; amazed by the room. The main entrance was beyond what a commoner could afford. The place was lite up with three chandeliers that were decorated with diamonds. The walls were painted a royal red colour with gold vines encasing it in, while the floors were made out of white granite that was polished greatly. The white columns that held the ceiling were carved with many small details. Along the middle of the floor lay a red carpet, darker than the walls, that reached all the way up the stairs. On top of those stairs were two empty chairs that were obviously meant for the emperor and empress.

Paintings and portraits of the royal family were hung on each wall; the biggest being a family portrait of the reigning emperor that could have been from a few years back. In it sat the proud emperor with his long black hair tied loosely behind his back, a young empress smiling kindly beside her husband, and in her hands laid a bundled up baby with its eyes closed. Beside the emperor was another child, but older. She had short dark blue hair that seemed to suit her pale white eyes, she looked a lot like her mother.

In front of him stood a row of fifty or so men, all varying in ages. The youngest seemed to be at least fourteen while the oldest looked as if he should be in a retirement home by now. He chose to stand beside the puny child noticing that he had brown hair and was wearing a very long scarf. From the round, fuzzy ears atop his head and his curved brown tail, the kid was a monkey Fein. Looking to his left, there stood another boy that was older than the Fein. He also had brown hair except it was more spikey, messier and in a lighter shade. The thing that stood out about this boy was the facial makeup he wore; red fang-like markings on both of his cheeks. Those markings meant that he belonged to the Inuzuka clan, a werewolf pack that lived in the neighboring country, The Kingdom of Frallen.

Everyone stood in silence, waiting for the emperor to arrive. A few seconds turned to minutes till the ruler came. He was just like how everyone described him as; tall, and very noble looking. He looked as young as he did in the painting except with a few greys here and there and a few more wrinkles added to his face. Following him was a young female wearing a golden kimono. It wasn't his wife, but the princess. Judging from her height and young features, she was the younger of the two sisters. She looked more like her father than her mother; the same black hair and the same eyes. Looking down at everyone, the young princess gave a disapproving look, probably thinking _Peasants, all of them. Not worth the time. _ Her father gave a disappointed sigh at the sight of his daughter judging them without actually knowing them.

"Hello to all who stand here, I welcome you to my home. I anticipated for more people, but I guess this will do. It'll make things a lot quicker. I know that some of you have traveled far to come here but I have to apologize. I only need one body guard. To decide on one, everyone here will be put in a competition." The Emperor of the Sun Empire had said in a stern voice.

All but those who figured this would happen burst out in talking. Things like, "this was such a waste of my time" or "what was the point of coming here in the first place?" were flung across the group of males. Only the smart ones questioned what the competition was about. The mysterious boy eyed the emperor curiously, not bothering to say a thing. The boy with the red markings on his cheeks smirked confidently, while the kid with the scarf grinned like a mad man.

"Silence," the emperor commanded. In an instant the room turned from loud to mute. "The competition will be in three parts; intellectual, practical, and combative. The winner will receive the job as knight and serve under the second princess, Hanabi-Hime." At that, the princess rolled her eyes and frowned at the sight in front of her.

The crowd of men once more started to chatter amongst themselves. Many people were upset that they weren't going to protect the king; others didn't mind protecting the princess and started spewing out perverted thoughts.

"Silence!" The King once more yelled. He cleared out his throat and said "Those who oppose this idea, are free to leave." Ten men left the room, leaving only forty left. "Very well. Shall we proceed with the competition then?"

The nearby guards led the group into another room filled with desks and chairs. Everyone was seated into a random spot. King Hiashi entered the room without the princess. He held a stack of papers in hand. The nearest guard took the papers and handed them out to everyone. The rules were simple; don't cheat, and there must be at least two questions done in an hour. The cloaked teen looked at the mini test and wrote his name and the date at the top. He scanned the sheet of paper and almost had a heart attack; it was filled with many questions that didn't make any sense. _Shit! What the hell does this mean?_ _If a woman has_ _Arrhenphobia*, what do you do to win her heart? How do I answer this question if I have no clue what Arrhenphobia is?! Whatever, I'll just skip the question. WAIT! if there are two snakes and they both start to eat each other at the same time, what happens? What is this called?! How the hell am I supposed to know? I ain't Kami. If I just take a quick peek at someone else's work then..no no no, I shouldn't, no cheating. _

But what the male did not know was that you were supposed to cheat. Cheating was the key to it. A half hour passed, the tension in the room died down. By now half of the men figured out that you were supposed to cheat. Intellectual? No, that's just a cover. The emperor just needed to see how sneaky one can be. However, one by one they were caught and sent out of the building, leaving twenty-eight contestants by the time it was over.

_That was fast. I didn't even notice people leaving the room. Was I that concentrated? Oh kami, I didn't even answer a single question. I'm definitely going to get disqualified. _Good thing the boy wore a mask because underneath it, he was sweating like a pig. Two hours had flown by so fast, he now stood back in the room where they were at first, waiting for the emperor's next command.

"I congratulate everyone here who stands before me. You have passed the first trial. I or the guards didn't catch you cheating and it seemed like everyone finished at least two questions; their name and the date." Without looking at the tests in his hands, he ripped the thin sheets in half and ordered a maid to throw them out. The faces of those who answered the questioned never looked so annoyed. Their hard efforts went down the drain. "Time's ticking and I would like to finish this competition before the sun sets. Shall we head on to the practical part?"

Instead of another rich looking room, they were put into a place that looked more like a jungle. There were trees everywhere, vines hung high and low. The grass was tall enough to probably hold wildlife. In the far off distance, one can hear the cries of monkeys and other animals typically found in a jungle. The group was quite shocked at the room, their mouths gapping at the scene before them. Who knew the emperor hid a jungle in his palace?

"What the hell is this place?" The Inuzuka child asked out loud.

Hiashi chuckled. "I bet you're all surprised. It's a jungle. Don't bother questioning why I have this room, I just felt like it. Well it's a good thing I do though because we're having the practical test in here." He led the group of twenty-eight farther into the unknown area until they reached the middle of the room. Tree houses inhabited the tall trees but there weren't signs of any ladders leading to the small huts. "In this test, you will be racing against one another. It's quite simple really; get to the top and find a treasure box in one of the tree houses. As you can see, there aren't any ladders for you to climb. To how you get up there is all up to you. Note that there are only ten treasure boxes, meaning only ten will precede to the next round, that is why it is a race. There are fifteen huts meaning if you do succeed in climbing one, it may be a hut without a box. Beware of the many animals lurking about. That is all, you may begin." At that, the men scattered around the place. Some thought climbing the tree would work, but unfortunately most of the trunks were covered in slimy guck from the many snails that nested the area.

"Oi! You in the cloak. Mysterious man! Over here." He turned around to see the kid with the scarf speaking to him. _Geh! I thought he didn't make the last round. _His blue orbs peered down at the boy in front of him. "The name's Sarutobi Konohamaru. Do you want to work together?" The kid's voice was pretty high and scratchy.

_Must have not reached puberty yet. Heh. His name matches his animal (Saru = Monkey). _The teen patted the child's head. "Sorry kid. I work alone." And with that, he turned and walked away.

"Shut up! I ain't a kid." Konohamaru yelled. "At least tell me your name."

The male sighed. "Kitsune." He held one hand up in the air and proceeded to walk away.

"Well you better watch your tail Kitsune, 'cause I'm going to whoop your ass and win this thing." Konohamaru cried. With a humph, he left in the opposite direction from the teen male known as Kitsune.

Kitsune chuckled. _Interesting boy, but let's see about that._

After finding a secluded area, Kitsune stopped and stared up at a large tree with one of the tree houses. _How will I get up here? It's freaking 10 meters tall. _He scanned the area for any resource he could find. He eyed a vine swinging from side to side 3 meters away from the tree. _Wow, this sure is convenient. Luck's on my side this time I guess. _He found a rock, big enough to step on and reach the hanging vine. He pulled onto it first, making sure it wouldn't snap. Seeing that it wouldn't break, the boy let go of it and pulled out a pair of gloves that matched his black cloak. _And here we go. _With a big huff, he pulled himself up the vine, his legs and arms moving up and down. It took lots of effort and stamina. His arms were growing tired from the continuous pulls, but he still climbed without rest. Giving up was a taboo for the man.

Finally, after twenty minutes he decided to rest on one of the many tree branches. The branch was perfect; it faced directly to the tree that Kitsune was aiming for. Deciding to take a few minutes off, he sat down, swinging his legs from the high up tree branch. He looked down below at the view. The men below were running about, trying to find a way up the many trees. He spotted the Shape Shifter trying his best to hang on the tree that was filled with moss and slime. Kitsune chuckled as he saw the poor boy fall off, luckily landing in a tall flower bed. He turned his attention to the small kid that introduced himself earlier. _That's a pretty good strategy you got there kid. _Konohamaru withdrew his scarf and wrapped it around a tree without much grime covering it. Holding onto the ends of the blue scarf, he climbed the tree and would move the scarf along with every step he took (**A/N: Think of Mulan when she climbed that piece of wood).** Once he hit a tree branch, the boy released his hold on the scarf and used his tail to wrap around the branch above the one he stood on. He was pretty light and had upper body strength, seeing as he could swing his entire body with just his tail and land on the branch perfectly.

Seeing as the boy was almost to the top, Kitsune got up from his sitting position and grabbed the vine once more. _I'm not letting you beat me. _Moving his legs back and forth, he swung to the other side in just a minute. He mentally gave himself a compliment from his accomplishment.

The door creaked as he opened the door to the house. It was dark inside, luckily the place was old and had holes through the walls. The light from the outside world shown through the holes making it easier to see what was in the room. The walls were covered with moss, while the ground was covered with leaves from the tree. In the middle of the place lay a golden treasure box. The man headed towards the box, and picked it up. It was light, not heavy at all. "Victory is mine."

_**Creak! **_

A sound resounded throughout the room. Kitsune quickly turned around. He was faced with a dark creature – a gorilla. _What the hell? Why the fuck did the emperor bring this guy here? _

With a thud, the door closed, leaving the boy with no way to escape from the beast. _Shit! I knew this was too easy. _In an instant the gorilla started screaming a loud shrill and thumped his chest like a monkey should.

Clutching the box tightly against his chest, he ran straight at the gorilla. With a gruff, it also stormed at the charging human. However, just before the gorilla reached him, he dodged to the side and ran out the door as fast as lightening. Unfortunately the vine that was there before disappeared out of thin sight. He quickly looked from left to right; there was nothing for him to help him escape. _Like hell I`m going to jump._ He backed away from the edge of the tree, until he felt something against his back. It gruffed and sent a chilling warm air to his neck. He carefully craned his neck over and saw the angry gorilla glaring down on him.

"Umm….I'm sorry, sir. I was just trying to get this. Heh..heh..eheh…" Kitsune slowly raised the golden box to show the animal what he had.

The gorilla once again gruffed and stared intently at the box. It snatched it out of the human's hand and began to open it.

"AHHH! Stop it! Give it back to me!" He shouted while trying to grab the box back.

The gorilla glared at him and continued to open it as if it hadn't heard a thing the boy said. It somehow smiled at what was inside; a great, big, yellow banana. What a surprise. The beast took the fruit and began devouring it.

Kitsune blankly stared at the animal in front of him. _You serious? If I had known it was a banana, I would have given it to him sooner. _The gorilla surprisingly gave him a toothy grin, and gave him back his box.

"Uhh….thanks?" _Well his majesty did say to bring the treasure box._

The animal looked from up to down, side to side. Seeing there wasn't any passage way that led from the tree to the ground, the gorilla grabbed the human in one hand while the other held onto the trunk of the tree. They slide down with ease. It surprised the human, yet he didn't yell nor scream. Once they reached the bottom, Kitsune said his thanks and waved as the gorilla walked farther into the jungle.

_Getting this baby was a piece of cake. _He grinned while looking down at the box in his hand. He walked back to the middle of the room, trying to look unsuspicious with the treasure box hidden behind his black cloak. Finally retrieving the box only to lose it if someone else stole it would have been a great lost.

He reached his goal in less than 10 minutes. Hiashi was sitting on his fancy leather chair that seemed to have come out of nowhere the last time they saw him. Beside him, like glue, were once again his guards dressed in blue. In front of him stood eight people, some were old and others were fairly young. He chose to stand beside the last person on the left hand side. _Shit! How long did I stay up there? The last time I checked, no one got a box. _He took out the box and held it just like everyone else; up high and front facing the king. Quickly taking a glance at the others lined up, he noticed the little boy giving him an evil snicker. No one but himself heard the low growl that came out of his mouth. _This monkey brat; of course he could climb the tree without any troubles._

A rustling sound came from the bush behind him. Noticing this, the guards were high on alert. Four of them stood in front of their ruler to protect, and the other four went to the bush. They pointed their spears towards the new face that popped out of the green leaves. A brown wolf growled at the men. In his mouth held one of the ten boxes.

"It' alright. He's one of the candidates, not a wild wolf." At the sound of their emperor's reassurance, they removed the weapons and went back into position.

The wolf gruffed as if he was saying his thanks. He walked over to where Kitsune stood and sat, placing the box in front of his paws.

"What made you transform?" Kitsune asked aloud.

"_A boar came out of nowhere and was chasing me at this tremendous speed. I had no choice but to kill it and run over here. Name?"_ He used telepathy.

"That's harsh man. That happened to me except it was a gorilla. It walked away when it took the banana that was in my box. Call me Kitsune."

"_An alias, huh? You don't wanna give me your real name?"_

"Confidential. Maybe next time."

"_Right. Inuzuka Kiba, and that's my real name."_

"Don't want to transform back now? Truthfully, it's weird to be talking out loud with no one answering."

"_Not at the moment. No clothes and it hurts like hell to transform back. I'll stay like this for the time being."_

Their conversation ended at that because they could say no more. It was time for the emperor to begin speaking once more. "Alright, all ten boxes are here. Guards, go lead the losing contestants out the doors." Five of them left his majesty's side. "Please open the treasure boxes."

Kitsune gulped. _What the hell do I do? There's nothing in this thing. _

One by one, the nine boxes opened. Hiashi eyed the mysterious boy, waiting for his turn. Not having any choice, he opened it.

"Let's see now, five fruits are missing and five are still there. To those without the fruit, please step up."

He took a step and so did Konohamaru. Three other men also followed the emperor's order, two being elderly men and the last being a middle aged man. "You five pass, you can now enter the combative round. Guards, please escort these other five out the doors. Thank you."

A deep growl erupted from the wolf's throat. "What do you mean by that?! We followed your orders; you told us that all we had to do was grab the treasure box." Luckily, someone else expressed his anger. It would have hurt the wolf's head if he were to use his telepathy on everyone in the room.

Hiashi sighed. "Why yes, I did say that. The point of this was to see if you were kind and compassionate, yet a crafty thinker at the same time. I ordered an animal to try to take the fruit inside. If they succeed and they receive a form of gratitude from that person, then the animal will lend a hand in some way. And these five people did just that. Now, best be on your way." He waved at his guards to carry on with their mission.

They had no choice but to follow the emperor's orders and leave the palace without any trouble. Kiba's tail was the last thing he saw before the doors to the room closed. It was quiet but he heard it. _"Best of luck, Kitsune."_ He smirked underneath his fox mask. _We may meet again Kiba, and I'll tell you my real name then. _

"You men get a ten minute break then it's onto the last round."

OoOoO

Ten minutes passed and the group was led into a sparing room. The walls were made up out of shōji (sliding doors made from wood and thin paper that allows light to come in) and behind it was a small garden. Fish and ducklings were splashing about in the shallow pond. The floors were covered with tatami mats. At one end of the room were two pairs of chairs fit for the royal family, and in the smallest chair sat the youngest princess, Hanabi. The golden kimono she wore before was discarded, and in its place was a white judogi (it's basically the uniform for judo). Her long black hair was tied up in a bun by a red ribbon. She looked disappointed once she saw them enter the room.

"Five people, huh? I was expecting less people to win the treasure hunt. Oh well, more people for me to send to the hospital." She said while looking at her nails.

"Hanabi!" Her father hissed. "Don't be rude."

"Terribly sorry." She was not at all sorry.

The emperor took his seat on the largest chair. "In this round, you will be facing my daughter on a one-on-one battle. Whoever beats her within ten minutes will be declared the winner. If you end up on the floor for more than ten seconds before the set time then you lose. The same rule applies to Hanabi-Hime. Well then, we'll start from the oldest to the youngest."

Everyone took their places. The eldest man who should be in his late sixties stood on one end of the room while the princess stood in the other. Hiashi commenced their battle with a flick of the wrist. The old man tried his best to scream a battle cry but his old age was catching up to him. His scream was diminished by a hit of coughs and wheezes. In the end, he couldn't fight against the princess and had to be sent to the medical room in the palace. The next man looked to be in his fifties. Surprising all of them, Hanabi flipped him over. His battle only lasted thirty seconds from the ache of breaking his back.

The third to go up was the thirty year old. He looked as buff as a wrestler and was as tall as a giraffe. He stood there with a cocky grin and laughed. "Face it, you can't beat me. You're just a girl, a young and weak girl." A glare that could scare the heavens was the answer that the man received from his insult. He started to laugh once more, only to be stopped midway when a sudden pound hit his stomach. He spat blood onto the brown tatami mats and frowned from the sly smile his opponent gave him.

"Oh? You were saying? I see no weak girl around here." In a flurry of wind, the man was sent to the ground. She threw him over her shoulder as if he weighed as light as a feather. His nose broke along with his right arm, and so he lost. "He was down in a minute and seven seconds. Father, may I go now? If these three were outdone in less than a minute, then I don't think the last two will have a chance against me."

"Hanabi you are to fight the remaining two. It is only fair."

She groaned from her father's order and went back into position. "You better be worth my time, sir."

The cloaked man smiled underneath his mask. "Of course, even if you are a princess, I won't go easy on you."

With the emperor's command, they began their brawl. Hanabi was the one to start off. With her left foot, she attempted to kick him to the side. Her attempt failed; the man caught her foot and kicked her right leg, enabling her to fall against the hard ground.

She winced from the pain felt on her back. "I guess you aren't just talk. Usually a person wouldn't be able to catch my foot in midair. My feet are strong, you see."

The impact of her kick did hurt his hand, but he didn't say a thing. He waited for her to get up on her feet. She yelled then charged straight at him. The princess punched him on his chest. It would have sent him sailing through the air, but surprising her, he only emitted a grunt. Frowning, she tried to strike him in many places using her legs and hands but all were fruitless this time. He dodged with ease and so it continued for over five minutes. She was panting and sweating while her opponent stood there with no sign of exhaustion.

"Stay still will ya!" She commanded in between breaths.

He shook his head, his black hood moving with. "What's the point of that, little princess? I want to win this, so shouldn't I be the one to beat _you?_"

"Shut up!" Her fist turned into just two fingers, wanting to jab his stomach.

He sighed, catching the hand before it got to its destination. "You don't understand, little princess. I am _stronger_ than you."

He twisted her arm behind her small body making her scream. "Stop! Let me go!"

He listened to her plea. However, instead of just letting her go, he kicked her on to the ground. She stayed there, holding her left hand. The marks of his tightening grip were red against her pale skin.

Kitsune looked from her to her father. "Ten seconds have passed. I won, didn't I?"

The emperor confirmed his question with a nod. He frowned from the display of violence on his daughter. If not for the competition, he would have sent the man to prison from harming a member of the royal family. "Nurse, please heal her." He demanded from the petit girl near the doorway. Luckily, she had just gotten there. She rushed over to the princess and with a green glow from her hand, the pain subsided and the marks were slowly fading.

"Um…sorry about that." He said trying to enlighten the mood. His optimistic voice faded when he got no answer back. She glared at him and looked anything but pleased.

"There is one more contestant. Young Fein, you may start your battle. If you beat my daughter in less than six minutes (Kitsune's battle took seven) then you are the winner."

Konohamaru smiled. "Finally. Listen up here, Kitsune; I _will_ win this and _I _will protect Hanabi-Hime." He said proudly.

"I don't need your protection! Neither of you!" Hanabi yelled, hearing what the monkey Fein said.

They began their battle. Over six minutes passed and the two were panting heavily. Konohamaru was pretty strong, being able to fight evenly with the princess. Truthfully, the princess was strong – Kitsune thought so. The first punch to Kitsune's gut hurt and so did her kick, but he tried to suppress the feeling while fighting her.

Konohamaru ducked under her oncoming kick and ran behind her. "Let's just end this already!"

"I agree, now go on the gro-" Her words were cut off from the tingling feeling on her skin. She burst out laughing and fell onto the floor with Konohamaru on top. "Stop! Oh Kami, stop it!"

The boy was tickling her to death. His brown tail tickled her feet and his hands were tickling her stomach and neck. She tried to push him off but his actions kept her on the floor. He snickered along with her laughs.

The king, amused, softly chuckled. "Alright, the fight is over. Hanabi was on the ground for more than ten seconds and so, the winner is the Fein. Congratulations."

The wanderer smiled underneath his mask. _A gentler way to get her on the ground. You got me there, Konohamaru._

The Sun Empire's ruler clapped his hands. "We are finished here. Hanabi, go shower and change, then head to the dining hall. Then we shall declare the winner."

OoOoO

_~After twenty minutes~_

Hanabi finally finished her shower and dressed. This time she wore an ivory kimono. She sat next to her father at the dining table. Their two guests were sitting on the other end of the table. Platters of cooked goods were sprawled everywhere, covering the chestnut wood entirely. The day had gone by so fast and it was already dinner time in the Hyuga household.

Kitsune had removed his mask just so that his mouth was the only thing visible. He took little of everything and gulped it down fast so that he could to get more.

Konohamaru did the same, stuffing his face with turkey and chicken before swallowing. He glugged down a goblet of water and asked a servant for more. He turned to the new face in the room and told her to hurry and begin eating or it'll end up in his stomach. On the other hand, Hiashi ate as a man of higher class should and didn't bother with their bad manners.

The only people at the table were four people: the two royalties and the two commoners. There were a few other chairs beside the emperor, vacant with no plate. Kitsune remembered that there was also the empress and the first princess that lived in the palace. "Your majesty, may I ask a question?"

He swallowed his spoon of beans and nodded. "You are already asking a question, but yes you may. If it's about the winner, then no; I will announce it after we finish our meals."

"It is not about the competition, sir. But where are her majesty and the first princess? Should they also be here to feast with us?"

"Are you planning something, young one? If so, I will remove you out of my home and into the dungeons."

"No-no, I was just curious. I saw the picture of his majesty's family in the main hall and was wondering why they aren't here to eat with you." He took another piece of beef and ate it.

"Busy is all. They are in a different part of the palace. The servants already brought their food to them." His pale eyes didn't look up from his plate.

"I understand, thank you."

Another fifteen minutes passed. The head of the table wiped his lips meaning his meal was over. He took a swig of the wine in his cup then cleared his throat. "I have decided that the winner will be," His pale eyes went to the wanderer then down to the kid beside him. "the young one. Boy, what is your name?"

Luckily, the wanderer had finished his meal earlier and put back his mask on properly. It hid the scowl from the others.

Konohamaru smiled brightly. Some of grains of rice fell from his mouth and onto the bowl. "Sarutobi Konohamaru, that's my name. But sir, are you making the right decision?"

"Do you not wish to serve the princess?"

"Oh no-no, I'm honored – really, I am. But I…was slower than Kitsune, here." He pointed his thumb to the man beside him.

"Yes, I said that the winner would be the one who beat my daughter the quickest; but you showed a different way to win against her. Instead of being rough, you chose to win in a kinder way. It also seemed like Hanabi was having fun with you." He teased his daughter.

"Be quiet, father." She pouted then went back to her meal. "I don't need a body guard." She said quietly.

"So, do you accept the job, Konohamaru-kun?"

Said boy nodded excitedly. "I'm ready to start right now, sir!"

"Yes yes, but you are too eager. Finish your meal then head back home to back your belongings. You shall be needed within a week. Yoko-san, please escort Konohamaru-kun back to the front gates after he is finished." He ordered a maid and she bowed. "Now, Kitsune-kun. I also have a job for you; please meet me in the main hall if you are done with your meal. Hanabi please come as well." He left the room, his dark silk haori waving behind him.

They followed.

OoOoO

"Your skills in combat are as marvelous as a royal descendant; they remind me of the methods of the west." Hiashi complimented.

"I am just a human commoner, but thank you."

"Would you like to serve the eldest princess?"

Stunned at his proposal, it took a moment for him to reply. He didn't think that the first princess needed protecting. He thought that she already had a protector since this competition was for the youngest of the royal family. "If needed, yes – of course I will."

"Very well. Not only was I looking for a knight for Hanabi, I was also searching for one for Hinata. I was astounded by your skills; it will be greatly needed. She is very special."

Thinking that by special he meant his daughter was very precious. All the wanderer did was nod. He learned that her name was Hinata.

Hanabi disapproved. "What if he hurts nee-san?" She said the next part in a whisper, but the wanderer heard it loud and clear. "She is the Ena. It would be horrible if something happened to her."

At once, the wanderer's voice hardened, his playful attitude gone. He was serious. "I will protect her. I will make sure nothing bad will happen to her." He had heard about the Ena in his village. She had a power and he needed it to help him.

It took a minute for the emperor to say his reply. He thought about what his daughter said but also the firm voice the man had all of a sudden. "Hmm… but how do I know you are worthy enough to protect my daughter? You do indeed possess the skills, but what if you are the one to hurt her? " The emperor had said to the wanderer. His eyes stared into the eyes of ocean-blue ones, seeming to look for something.

"I shall protect her with my life. I will never harm her. My wellbeing is not as important as the princess' either. If anything were to happen to the princess, I shall do anything to save her. If slicing off a limb or two were to be sacrificed for the princess, so be it. I do not mind what happens to me as long as her highness is safe. Does this answer your question your highness?" The wanderer responded in all seriousness.

Hiashi smiled and nodded at the teenaged boy standing in front of him, approving at whatever he saw in the eyes of the young man. "Very well, I shall entrust my eldest daughter with you. But before that, I would appreciate it if you take off that mask and state your name, young lad."

A low chuckle came from the boy. "Well of course, how can I refuse a man of royalty? The name's Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto. " He bowed at the king with courtesy. His left hand went to the hood of his cloak, while his right slowly took off his fox mask.

Naruto chuckled at the bewildered king. "Like what you see?" The emperor stared at the naked faced boy. The mask revealed a very handsome face that matched his low voice; an angled face, sandy-blond spikey hair, almond shaped eyes, sparkling white teeth. But those weren't what the king was shocked about. It was his cheeks; they had birth marks looking like whiskers. "We-Well you're—"

Hiashi was interrupted by the fearful glare Naruto was giving that could have matched his own when he was angry. _"Don't speak of it." _Was what the glare seemed to mean. After clearing his throat, Hiashi said "I apologize, Naruto-kun. Very well, you are hired. Your mission is to not protect her in the palace, but go out in the wilderness with her. You must have heard from earlier, Hanabi is not the best whisperer. Hinata is the Ena of this century. It's a secret to keep her from harm and so, I hope it remains a secret. I want you to find the oracle; the legendary oracle will heal her of her blindness. She is to be wed in a year, and I don't want the other party to single her out because of her disability or take control of her powers. It would end the line of Celestia's power, but I'm afraid that the next Ena would be much more dangerous than Hinata. We need to stop the Ena's powers before it gets too late."

Naruto bowed. "Of course, sir; you can count on me. I will find the oracle and protect the princess with everything I have."

"Depart in a week. Get your belongings together and come back to the palace."

"I am just a wandering man, All the belongings I have are right here." He flipped over his cloak to reveal a small knapsack on his back.

"Then, you shall depart tomorrow morning. Tell my daughter to pack up; she is in the garden at the moment. Guards please escort Naruto-kun to her; we wouldn't want him to get lost. "

The huge red doors slammed shut after the wanderer left the room. The younger princess looked up to her father, confused. "Father, if I may ask, why are you so sure he won't do any harm to nee-san? He has the skills, but something about him just does not seem right. When I said she was the Ena, he became all serious."

Looking at his daughter, he smiled triumphantly. "Because he has the Will of Fire, I could see it in his eyes. He was dead serious." Hiashi laughed at his daughter's facial expression.

"Huuh? The Will of the what?" Hanabi said, looking more confused then she already was. "I seriously don't get you, Father. And what was that about being a poor whisperer?"

He patted her raven head. "Pretend you didn't hear that."

* * *

***arrhenphobia - A fear of men**

Yes I made it similar to the chunin exams. And unlike my other NaruHina fanfic, I made Hiashi a nice man. Hope you enjoyed it.  
If it sounds really sped up (The fighting scene was really sped up), I'm sorry, I just wanted to get it over and done with so that the real story kicks in. If you have any questions or suggestions, please do tell either in the reviews or pm me.

I was actually inspired by AngeLhearteD's Quietus to write this. If you haven't already read this, I suggest you do. It's a M rated SasuSaku story.

Next chapter will feature your long awaited Hinata-Hime. Unfortunately, I won't update until maybe the end of January. I've got lots of projects and my exams are coming up so I'll be busy. I'll try to write during breaks and over the holiday break. So I'll just wish everyone an early Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Please check on my profile for the progress of each story if you're wondering how much longer you'll have to wait.

~Fred

(Friendly Reminder: This fanfic will only continue if I receive 30 reviews by the end of chapter 2 and that not all chapters will be this long.)


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